2026 ADT Summer Intensive
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
Enrollment is Now OPEN!
If you have any questions, please reach out to us by email at info@alaskadancetheatre.org or by phone at (907)277-9591.
Meet Our Guest Artists!
Tyler McKenzie
Tyler McKenzie is a performer, director, choreographer, and educator who spent nearly eight years with Hamilton. His Broadway and national tour credits include Hamilton, Matilda, and Mamma Mia!, with regional work across the U.S. Tyler has directed and choreographed Mamma Mia! twice and will do the same for Ain’t Too Proud this December in Florida. He holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from Western Carolina University and a 200-hour yoga teacher certification earned in Bali, and has taught nationwide, including on the faculty at Penn State’s Musical Theater program.
Ilana Goldman
Ilana Goldman is a dancer, choreographer, filmmaker, educator, and Professor of Dance and Undergraduate Program Director at Florida State University. She received her BFA from The Juilliard School, where she was awarded the John Erskine Prize for artistic and academic excellence, and her MFA from the University of Washington. She performed professionally as a principal dancer with Oakland Ballet and Sacramento Ballet, as a member of Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet and Trey McIntyre Project, and as a guest artist with Alonzo King LINES Ballet. She performed in works by George Balanchine, Marius Petipa, Martha Graham, José Limón, Agnes de Mille, Eugene Loring, Bronislava Nijinska, Ruth St. Denis, Paul Taylor, Twyla Tharp, Donald McKayle, David Parsons, George Faison, Ron Cunningham, Bebe Miller, Susan Marshall, Margaret Jenkins, Dwight Rhoden, Igal Perry, Helen Pickett, Francesca Harper, John Clifford, Septime Webre, Sidra Bell, and Amy Seiwert, among others. She has choreographed works and taught classes for schools and companies across the country and served as Choreographer in Residence of Bowen McCauley Dance Company (2018–2019) and Artist-in-Residence at Glacier National Park (2022). Ilana has directed, choreographed, edited, and performed in seven short dance films, which have screened and won awards at international film festivals across the United States and internationally.
Dale Jordan
Dale Jordan is a ballet artist and educator with over two decades of professional performance experience. She trained at Huntington Ballet Theatre under Jan Hanniford Goetz and Maggie Black, continued in the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre Schenley Graduate Program, and received private coaching from Vickie Simon, Fabrice Herrault, and Edward Ellison.
Jordan’s professional career includes performances with Milwaukee Ballet, Colorado Ballet, Orlando Ballet, Sarasota Ballet of Florida, Eugene Ballet, Anchorage Ballet, and New Orleans Ballet Theatre/New Orleans Opera. Her repertoire spans classical and contemporary works including Swan Lake, Don Quixote, Giselle, Spartacus, Paquita, Carmina Burana, and The Nutcracker, where she performed principal and featured roles such as Sugar Plum Grand Pas de Deux, Aurora, Arabian Pas de Deux, Dew Drop, Pas de Trois, and Four Little Swans. While at Orlando Ballet, she collaborated with Cirque du Soleil on La Nouba.
As an educator, Jordan brings her extensive stage experience into the studio, emphasizing strong classical technique, musicality, artistry, and healthy training practices. She is passionate about mentoring young dancers, developing clean technique and expressive performance quality, and preparing students for professional careers. Her teaching style combines disciplined classical foundations with encouragement, precision, and a deep understanding of the demands of company life.
Reed Cech
Reed Cech is originally from Tucson, Arizona, where she trained in classical ballet at the Ballet Rincon Academy. After graduating high school, she went on to receive her BFA in Dance from the University of Arizona. In her time at the U of A, Reed performed in masterworks by Martha Graham, Larry Keigwin, and George Balanchine, among others. She spent her summers furthering her training with accredited programs at the Paul Taylor School, the Boston Ballet School, American Ballet Theatre, and Perry Mansfield Performing Arts Camp. In 2022, Reed moved to NYC as a freelance dancer, and trained at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance, performing Martha Graham’s “Appalachian Spring” and Bradley Shelver’s “Babel”. Ms. Neuser notably performed in the 2023 Saks 5th Avenue Light Ceremony under the Graham II Director Virginie Mecene, as well as with the Alison Cook Beatty Dance Company in Alison’s “Lacrimis” at the White Wave Dumbo Dance Festival.
Greta Baker-Hodge
Greta is a passionate dancer, choreographer, and performer with a strong foundation in performance and choreography. She graduated from the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) with a BFA and was honored as the Outstanding Senior Choreographer. Currently, Greta dances with Live Arts in Las Vegas, a company that recently performed at the 2025 IABD Conference and Festival. Throughout her career, Greta has honed her craft through intensives at renowned institutions such as BodyTraffic, Eisenhower Dance Detroit, DanceWorks Chicago, and Hubbard Street Dance. Her dance journey began at Alaska Dance Theatre at the age of four, where she also became a company member, participating in numerous performances and competitions. She has worked with Avree Walker, Jason Hotrtin, Victoria Dale, Cathy Allen, Hayley Meier, Louis Kavouras, and Pip Schultz all at UNLV. Greta is very excited to be able to work with Alaska Dance Theatre. She is dedicated to inspiring and nurturing the next generation of dancers, using her extensive experience to lead, teach, and share her love for dance.
Kelly Chase
Kelly Chase is an alumni of Alaska Dance Theatre! Kelly is currently a San Francisco based artist and is a member of the Alonzo King LINES Training Program. She received her BFA in Dance from Florida State University. Kelly was a company member of the Tallahassee Ballet for three years under Artistic Director Tyrone Brooks, performing repertoire by Christopher Huggins and more. She is also an alumni of The School at Jacob’s Pillow Contemporary Ensemble 2023, where she performed repertoire by Ronald Brown, Jennifer Archibald, and Amy J. Garner. Kelly performed ‘The Running Show’ with Monica Bill Barnes & Company at the La Jolla Playhouse WOW Festival. Kelly has presented work at Joe Goode Annex as an Emerging Choreographer with Mark Foehringer Dance Project (SF), with the LINES Training Program, at the Center for Performance Research (NYC), at Florida State University, at ACDA representing Florida State University, with the Anchorage Festival of Music, and at dance competitions such as NUVO and YAGP. Kelly has been teaching and choreographing with Alaska Dance Theatre since 2020!
Margarita Merkusheva
Margarita began studying piano at age five. She is a graduate of the Vologda Music College in Russia in piano and voice and furthered her studies at the Armenian Musical Conservatory in the class of renowned pianist Professor Robert Oganian. Her music has inspired dances by many noted choreographers, including Israel (El) Gabriel of the University of California, Irvine, and is performed in productions by New World School of th Arts, Anchorage Ballet, and ADT. She has released two CD's, It's My Life and Believe in Yourself.
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